Adjust the display settings on Apple Watch
Adjust the brightness, text size, wake settings, and Always On display.
Adjust the text size in Control Center
Press the side button to open Control Center.
Tap
, then tap the letters or turn the Digital Crown.
Adjust brightness and text size in Settings
Go to the Settings app
on your Apple Watch.
Tap Display & Brightness.
Set any of the following:
Brightness: Tap the brightness buttons or turn the Digital Crown.
Text Size: Tap Text Size, then tap the size buttons or turn the Digital Crown.
Bold Text: Turn on Bold Text.
You can also make these adjustments on your iPhone—go to the Apple Watch app , tap My Watch, then tap Display & Brightness.
Adjust the wake settings
Go to the Settings app
on your Apple Watch.
Tap Display & Brightness, then set any of the following:
Wake on Wrist Raise: Allow or prevent Apple Watch from waking when you raise your wrist.
Tip: To temporarily stop Apple Watch from waking when you raise your wrist, turn on Theater Mode.
Wake on Crown Rotation: Allow or prevent Apple Watch from waking when you turn the Digital Crown.
Wake Duration: Choose how long the display stays on after Apple Watch wakes.
Keep your watch face visible with Always On
With Always On, the watch face and time are displayed even when your wrist is down. When you raise your wrist, Apple Watch works normally.
Go to the Settings app
Tap Display & Brightness, then tap Always On.
Turn on Always On, then set any of the following:
Show Complication Data: Choose which complications show data.
Show Notifications: Choose which notifications are visible.
Show Apps: Choose which apps are visible.
Note: When your Apple Watch is in Low Power Mode, Always On isn’t available; to see the watch face, tap the display.
Return to clock face when inactive
You can choose how long before Apple Watch returns to the clock face from an open app.
Go to the Settings app
Tap General, tap Return to Clock, then choose when you want your Apple Watch to return to the clock face: Always, After 2 minutes, or After 1 hour.
You can also return to the clock face by pressing the Digital Crown.
By default, the setting you select applies to all apps, but you can choose a custom time for each app. To do so, tap an app on this screen, tap Custom, then choose a setting.
Set Apple Watch to return to your last used app
For some apps, you can set Apple Watch to return you to where you were before it went to sleep. These apps include Audiobooks, Maps, Mindfulness, Music, Now Playing, Podcasts, Stopwatch, Timers, Voice Memos, and Workout.
Go to the Settings app
Tap General, tap Return to Clock, scroll down and tap an app, then turn on Return to App.
To return to the clock face, just stop what you’re doing in the app—for example, stop a podcast, end a route in Maps, or cancel a timer.
You can also go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap General, then tap Return to Clock.